Firstly we support each other. Being parents of Special Needs children can sometimes be a lonely road. You may feel separated from society, or think you are alone on this unending journey.

• *Supporting each other
• *Simply listening to each other
• *Sharing our experiences
• *Safe space

We listen to Parents and Carers, we also to get our views, experiences and opinions.

• Collect them together so that the parent voice is counted in Newham’s Local Authority decision making processes.
• Ensure that, you are well informed about what Newham and Health Services are doing, what is available and what is new.
• Meeting with The Director of Children’s Services and other SEN Staff members – two or three of the committee have bi-monthly meetings to discuss parent issues.
• Network Meetings – we attend a range of meetings to network with other local voluntary groups and other parent forums in our region and nationally.
• Regional Cluster Group Meetings – We meet members from other forums in our region. We share best practice, get ideas and feedback from other forums. We are updated by our national reps on what is happening across the country in terms of parent participation. We have a couple of Reps from our steering group attend this very valuable meeting once a quarter.
• National Conferences – Newham Parent Forum are members of the National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF) and are supported by Contact a Family and the Council for Disabled Children – we attend meetings in London with these groups to understand the national picture and discover what support is available to us as a forum.
• We plan on attending meetings with the Department for Education to feedback directly.
• We feedback into national surveys that help build a picture of what families are dealing in Newham and help paint a picture across the country.